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Spring 2020 LER 590-E: GOVERNMENT REGULATION II
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GOVERNMENT REGULATION II (LER 590-E)
Professor Michael H. LeRoy
244-4092/e-mail: [email protected]
Spring 2020 Semester All rights to lecture materials and class simulations developed by Michael H. LeRoy are expressly reserved. No photographic, other copy, or electronic reproduction or transmission of these materials is authorized without the express, written consent of Michael H. LeRoy. Michael H. LeRoy also expressly
prohibits any person or entity from using lecture materials or simulations for any form of pay or other consideration without his express, written consent.
Course Description: This course examines a variety of federal and state statutes, agency
regulations, and court rulings that regulate employment relationships. Topics include:
(1) legal theories associated with discharge and the erosion of
employment-at-will (e.g., breach of contract, breach of oral
agreement, breach of employee handbook policy; covenant of good-
faith dealing; and public policy exceptions to employment at will);
(2) breach of contract by an employee and post-employment restrictions;
(3) a variety of retirement issues, including forced and mandatory retirement;
retiree health benefits; plant closings; fiduciary duties under ERISA;
administration of retirement trust benefits; pension plan termination;
discrimination in private pensions; and Social Security retirement benefits;
(4) worker’s compensation issues, including scope of employment,
determination of benefit levels, and exclusivity of compensation claims;
(5) legal theories and remedies involving occupational disease
(e.g., long-term exposure to workplace toxins, and stress-induced heart
attacks) and occupational injury;
(6) tort claims arising out of employment relationship (e.g., co-worker or
customer assaults on employee);
(7) occupational safety and health issues arising under OSHA, such as
employer duties and defenses, employee rights, hazardous refusal to work,
common law safety duties, and anti-discrimination theories.
Course Goals: LER 590E prepares you to apply and analyze employment regulations that
are likely to be part of your professional work. My goal is to integrate your growing knowledge
of employment law with a problem-solving methodology that you can use as a professional. In
addition, the course covers a variety of business and financial subjects that are intertwined with
employment regulation issues. Examples include bankruptcy priorities for employees and
retirees, tax treatment of health insurance benefits, and the impact of downsizing and “legacy
benefits” on an employer’s financial statement.
Course Structure: Your diligent preparation and consistent participation are
necessary to make this course successful. Given your presumed unfamiliarity with analyzing
legal issues, most classes will involve my presentation of lecture materials. As the semester
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progresses, however, you will be able to participate in more class discussions.
Class attendance is necessary and absolutely required. You must keep up with
casebook readings. Experience shows, however, that you are unlikely to make sense of these
materials on your own— at least for the first few classes. If you keep up with assignments and
attend class regularly, you will learn a great deal by the end of the semester.
Text: All readings are from Mark Rothstein and Lance Liebman, EMPLOYMENT
LAW (8th ed.). If you wish to use the 7th or 6th edition, or an excerpted online edition, this is
doable though not ideal (however, it is cheaper). You are still responsible for all
assignments. Most cases in the 8th edition are also in the earlier editions. You might need to
borrow a book to complete homework on some occasions.
Grades: To succeed in this course, you must devote regular thought to the materials you
read. The readings seem short— about 30-50 pages per week.
ASSIGNMENTS: Read every assignment at least twice— once, to become familiar with
the issues and concepts, and a second time to delve into materials more carefully. You will have
weekly writing assignments on course readings.
You are required to submit a written assignment every week. See below for details.
Send your paper to [email protected]. Be sure to put this exact heading in the subject line:
LER 590E.
Repeat: Be sure to put this exact heading in the subject line: LER 590E. This will
enable me to count your work as timely submitted.
You should write one page (or more) per case that summarizes the following material:
1. What is the legal issue?
2. What are the main facts of the case?
3. What is the court’s ruling? How did the court justify its ruling?
4. Where there is a dissenting opinion, summarize its conclusion and reasoning. In
general, devote one page per case. Use standard font, spacing, and margins.
5. Incorporate key quotes and specific references to statutes.
There is no penalty for exceeding the one-page guideline for each case, or using single
spaced formats. Excellent summaries are often longer than one page.
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GRADES:
Attendance (10% of your course grade): An attendance roster will be circulated at the
beginning, and at the end, of every class.
Class Participation (10% of your course grade): The course is discussion-based. While
some students are talkative and others are shy, there is an expectation that all students will
contribute to the exchange of ideas, questions, and information.
• You will sign the roster each week that you attend class (twice, assuming that you do
not leave class early).
• Falsification of a signature will result in academic discipline.
If you must be absent or leave class early, e-mail your justification to me before the start of class.
I will not approve or disapprove an absence or tardy, but will take into account your reason(s),
and overall track record, when I calculate this part of your grade at the end of the semester.
NOTE: Do not take risks with your health or ours. If you do not feel well enough to attend
class, stay home or seek treatment. Send me an e-mail. Your absence will be excused.
Weekly Assignments (80% of your course grade): You will be responsible for submitting a
weekly assignment before the start of every class. A typical assignment will be 4 or 5 cases.
Grading for weekly assignments has two components: Regularity, and Quality.
Each component counts 40% toward your course grade.
Regularity (40%): If you submit 13 out of 14 assignments on time (but miss once
because of a heavy midterm schedule in other courses), this part of your course grade will still be
an “A.” In other words, if you are ill, or swamped by a group project, or out of town on an
interview— or whatever the reason— there is no need to discuss the matter with me. However, if
you miss two timely submissions, this component will drop to a C [not an A- nor a B+, etc.]; 3
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missed assignments, to a D; 4 or more missed assignments, to an F). Also, a sloppy, incomplete,
lazy, or poorly written assignment will count as unacceptable.
Quality of Submission (40%): As each week passes, you will copy your weekly
assignment into a compiled or cumulative Word file.
For example, if your name is Mary Jones, name the file something such as “Mary Jones
590E Compilation.”
Each week, make an electronic copy of your weekly assignments, and paste them into this
expanding file. In sum, the purpose of this document is to correct and add useful detail to the
weekly assignment. More specifically, the compiled document aims to:
• improve and deepen your initial understanding of case materials
• create a cumulative document that prepares you for the final exam
• learn continuously, and de-emphasize “cramming” as a learning strategy
• learn how to improve a first draft into a much better, final submission
• go to your first job with a useful reference tool that you created and understand
Pay attention to this guidance: If you are spending several hours every week on the
compiled file, something is wrong. I suggest about 30 minutes each week. Try to do this in class
(yes, it is okay to do this in class), or shortly after class while the material is fresh in your mind.
You will be in class and realize that you misunderstood a particular case. You are not
penalized for this problem in your weekly assignment; but you are expected to correct the
misunderstanding in the compiled document.
Also, you will see more meaning in certain passages that meant little or nothing to you
when you did the weekly summary. The compiled document should contain this addition to your
original weekly submission.
In sum, the compiled document is simply a running record of all your weekly
assignments; and it differs from the weekly assignments only slightly or moderately to include
corrections and richer detail. I suggest that you save assignments to a thumb-drive or other
external source in case you have a hard drive failure. I receive a remarkable number (2-3 per
semester) of student e-mails that complain about sudden hard disk (or similar memory device)
failures shortly before assignments are due. You are on notice to keep a running copy of your
compiled document so that if you have a computer problem near the end of the semester,
you are able to present this copied file to me upon request.
This part of your course grade will be substantively graded at the end of the semester.
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Papers are graded using these criteria: (a) comprehension, (b) accuracy, (c) support for
conclusions in footnotes,1 (d) length (including word count), (e) grammar, and (f) spelling.
Some students have never used the footnoting feature in Word. To create a footnote, look
at the top of the toolbar and locate “References” on the menu. The footnote option is at the top,
left-hand side of the task bar. Click on “Insert Footnote.” Word will place footnotes at the end of
each page. If you need help with this feature, please ask me— I am happy to help you.
Sexual Misconduct Policy and Reporting
The University of Illinois is committed to combating sexual misconduct. As such, you should
know that faculty and staff members are required to report any instances of sexual misconduct—
which also includes dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking—to the University’s Title
IX and Disability Office. What this means is that as your instructor, I am required to report any
incidents of sexual misconduct that are directly reported to me, or of which I am somehow made
aware. When a report is received, an individual with the Title IX and Disability Office reaches
out to provide information about rights and options, including accommodations, support services,
the campus disciplinary process, and law enforcement options.
There is an exception to this reporting requirement about which you should be aware. A list of
the designated University employees who, as counselors, confidential advisors, and medical
professionals, do not have this reporting responsibility and can maintain confidentiality, can be
found here: wecare.illinois.edu/resources/students/#confidential.
Other information about resources and reporting is available here: wecare.illinois.edu.
Office Hours: I promise to make myself readily available to you upon request. Please
call (244-4092) or e-mail me for an appointment, and suggest times.
Concluding Thought: My hope is that you will find this course among the most valuable
in your professional education.
1 Quote or cite to cases in the book in this manner: Casename, p. ___. If citing to an
online case, cite the name and page number, too. Citations to lectures are also permitted. E.g.,
Lecture/Discussion (February 21, 2015).
http://wecare.illinois.edu/resources/students/#confidentialhttp://wecare.illinois.edu/
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Your Name, e-Mail, and Phone Number: ________________________________________
Affirmation: I certify that only my signature appears on this attendance record. If another person signs my
attendance record, or if I sign another person’s attendance record, or if I sign-in ahead of time for a “class
start”, or otherwise engage in fraud, I will be subject to academic discipline and a course grade penalty.
___________________________________________
Your Signature
1st Class: ________________
Your Signature
2nd Class: ________________
Your Signature
3rd Class: ________________
Your Signature
4th Class: ________________
Your Signature
5th Class: ________________
Your Signature
6th Class: ________________
Your Signature
7th Class: ________________
Your Signature
8th Class: ________________
Your Signature
9th Class: ________________
Your Signature
10th Class: ________________
Your Signature
11th Class: ________________
Your Signature
12th Class: ________________
Your Signature
13th Class: ________________
Your Signature
14th Class: ________________
Your Signature
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ALL READINGS ARE FROM THE ROTHSTEIN CASEBOOK UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.
ALL ASSIGNMENTS REQUIRE READING OF CASENOTES THAT FOLLOW MAIN CASE.
Synopsis of Employment Laws Covered in LER 590E
I. Federal Law
A. U.S. Constitution
First Amendment
Fourth Amendment
Fifth Amendment
Fourteenth Amendment (Due Process and Equal Protection)
B. Statutes and Related Regulations
Older Workers Benefit Protection Act
Employee Retirement Income Security Act
U.S. Bankruptcy Code (as applied to pension terminations)
Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act
Title VII, 1964 Civil Rights Act, as amended (as applied to gender-based benefits
discrimination and safety regulations)
Social Security
Occupational Safety and Health Act
Americans with Disabilities Act
Federal Employees Compensation Act
II. State Employment Laws (Selected Sample)
Illinois (Doctrine of Suitable Work under Illinois Unemployment Insurance)
California (Covenant of Good-Faith Dealing Exception to Employment-at-Will)
Texas (Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress)
Massachusetts (Workers= Compensation Code)
Ohio (Dual Capacity Exception to Exclusive Remedy under Workers Compensation)
Michigan (Criminal Law Enforcement of Workplace Safety)
New York (Tort Liability for Wrongful Birth [Workplace Exposure to Toxins]
III. Web Sites Used in LER 590-E
A. U.S. Congress
U.S. Senate and House of Representatives at http://thomas.loc.gov/
B. Federal Courts
U.S. Supreme Court (current and recent decisions),
http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/ (expanded Supreme Court services).
Also see http://www.supremecourtus.gov
http://thomas.loc.gov/http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/http://www.supremecourtus.gov/
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U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit http://www.law.emory.edu/1circuit/
U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit http://www.tourolaw.edu/2ndCircuit/
U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
http://www.findlaw.com/casecode/courts/9th.html
A good general source for cases is at
http://www.law.com/professionals/emplaw.html
C. Federal Administrative Agencies
U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration
http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/
U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration
http://www.osha.gov/
D. State Courts and Agencies
Illinois Industrial Commission (Workers Compensation)
http://www.state.il.us/agency/iic/Links.htm
Massachusetts Division of Employment and Training http://www.detma.org/
New York Department of Labor http://www.labor.state.ny.us/index.html
Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation
http://www.bwc.state.oh.us/home/home.htm
http://www.law.emory.edu/1circuit/http://www.tourolaw.edu/2ndCircuit/http://www.findlaw.com/casecode/courts/9th.htmlhttp://www.law.com/professionals/emplaw.htmlhttp://www.dol.gov/ebsa/http://www.osha.gov/http://www.state.il.us/agency/iic/Links.htmhttp://www.detma.org/http://www.labor.state.ny.us/index.htmlhttp://www.bwc.state.oh.us/home/home.htm
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I. Discharge: Judicial Erosion of the Employment-at-Will Doctrine
A. Statutory and Constitutional Protection of Employees 845
1. Nelson v. James H. Knight DDS, P.C., 2012 WL 6652747 (Iowa 2012)
REPRODUCED IN CASE SUPPLEMENT BELOW
2. Cotto v. United Tech., Corp., 711 A.2d 1180 (Conn 1998) SUPPLEMENT BELOW
3. Graziosi v. City of Greenville, __ F.3d __ (5th Cir. 2015) (READ DECISION AT
THE LINK HERE: http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions%5Cpub%5C13/13-60900-
CV0.pdf
4. Dixon v. Coburg Dairy, Inc., 330 F.3d 250 (4th Cir 2003) (SUPPLEMENT, BELOW)
5. Whistleblower Laws 845
6. Bard v. Bath Iron Works 846
7. Constitutional Protections 851
8. Goetz v. Windsor Central School District 851
9. Statutory Contracts— The Montana Exception 859
10. Marcy v. Delta Airlines 859
B. Contractual Exceptions to At-Will Employment 865
1. Breach of Contract 865
http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions%5Cpub%5C13/13-60900-CV0.pdfhttp://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions%5Cpub%5C13/13-60900-CV0.pdf
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a. Written Contracts 865
1. Gordon v Matthew Bender & Co. 865
2. Scribner v. Worldcom, Inc. 868
b. Contracts Implied from Conduct 873
1. Pugh v. See’s Candies, Inc. 873
c. Modification of Contracts— Employee Handbooks 879
1. Woolley v. Hoffman-LaRoche, Inc. 872
2. Russell v. Board of County Commissioners 888
d. Good Faith & Fair Dealing 890
1. Fortune v. National Cash Register Co. 891
e. Illegal Contracts
1. Patel v. Boghra, 369 Fed.Appx. 722 (7th Cir. 2010) SUPPLEMENT
f. Collective Bargaining Agreements
2. State v. Henderson, 762 N.W.2d 1 (Neb. 2009) SUPPLEMENT
CASE SUPPLEMENT
C. Tort Exceptions to Employment-at-Will 897
a. Good Faith and Fair Dealing Revisited 897
1. Cleary v. American Airlines 897
2. Foley v. Interactive Data Corp. 898
b. Public Policy 915
1. Gantt v. Sentry Insurance 916
2. Hansen v. America Online, Inc. 925
3. Gardner v. Loomis Armored, Inc. 931
4. Barbuto v. Advantage Sales & Marketing (2017), available in
https://www.massmunilaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Cristina-Barbuto-v-Advantage-
Sales-and-Marketing-LLC.pdf
c. Overlapping and Conflicting Remedies 936
1. Lingle v. Norge Div. of Magic Chef 938
2. Maksimovic v. Tsogalis 177 Ill.2d 511 (1997)
See http://www.state.il.us/court/Opinions/SupremeCourt/1997/October/Opinions/HTML/81493.txt
3. Hagan v. Feld Entertainment, Inc. CASE SUPPLEMENT
d. Common Law Claims 947
1. Wilson v. Monarch Paper Co. 947
II. Employees’ Duties to the Employer
A. Breach of Contract by an Employee 971
1. Handicapped Children’s Education Board v. Lukazewski 971
2. Mercer Management Consulting v. Wilde 985
B. Post-Employment Restrictions 996
1. Estee Lauder Cos. v. Batra 996
https://www.massmunilaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Cristina-Barbuto-v-Advantage-Sales-and-Marketing-LLC.pdfhttps://www.massmunilaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Cristina-Barbuto-v-Advantage-Sales-and-Marketing-LLC.pdfhttp://www.state.il.us/court/Opinions/SupremeCourt/1997/October/Opinions/HTML/81493.txt
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2. KGB, Inc. v. Giannoulas, 104 Cal.App.3d 844 (1980) CASE SUPPLEMENT
3. People of Illinois v. Jimmy’s John’s Enterprises, Inc.,
http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/pressroom/2016_06/JimmyJohnsComplaintF
ILED.pdf
III. Unemployment
A. Bankruptcy 1017
1. Procedural Protection in Executory Contracts 1017
2. Howard Delivery Services, Inc. v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co. 1019
3. Law v. Law Trucking Co. 1023
4. in re Pain Management Center of Southern Indiana SUPPLEMENT
4. In re American Housing Foundation, Debtor 1025
5. In re A.C.E. Elevator Co., Inc.. 1029
B. Plant Closings
1. Local 1330, United Steelworkers v. U.S Steel Corp. 1032
BACKGROUND OPTIONAL READING: http://legalleft.org/wp-
content/uploads/2015/09/Stout_Remembering-Pittsburgh.pdf
2. Note on Federal Plant-Closing and Mass Layoff Law 1043
3. Gross v. Hale-Halsell Co. 1044
4. Administaff v. New York Joint Board 1043
C. Displaced Workers 1053
D. Unemployment Insurance 1056
1. Garraty: Unemployment in History 1056
2. Nicholson & Needels: Unemployment Insurance 1059
3. Kletzer & Rosen 1065
E. Year-Round Jobs 1071
1. Zambrano v. Reinhart 1071
F. Separations 1074
1. Good Cause Quit
a. Jaime v. Director of Employment Security 1075
b. Quick ‘n Tasty Foods, Inc. v. Dep’t of Employment Security 1080
c. Tri-County Youth Programs, Inc. v. Acting Director 1085
2. Discharge for Misconduct 1088
a. Pesce v. Board of Review 1088
b. Amador v. Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board 1094
c. Sauerland v. Florida Unemployment Ins. Appeals Comm. 1099
d. Freeman v. Employment Dep’t, 195 Or. App. Ct (2004)
(SUPPLEMENT BELOW)
G. Continuing Eligibility 1104
1. Availability 1104
http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/pressroom/2016_06/JimmyJohnsComplaintFILED.pdfhttp://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/pressroom/2016_06/JimmyJohnsComplaintFILED.pdfhttp://legalleft.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Stout_Remembering-Pittsburgh.pdfhttp://legalleft.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Stout_Remembering-Pittsburgh.pdf
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a. Petty v. University of Delaware 1104
2. Suitable Work 1108
a. Lester v. Department of Employment Security 1108
IV. Retirement
A. Mandatory Retirement and Age Discrimination in Retiree Benefits Plans 1123
1. Mandatory Retirement 1124
2. Age Discrimination in Employee Benefits Plans 1127
a. Solon v. Gary Comm. School Corp. 1127
b. Carr v. Armstrong Air Conditioning, Inc. (Case Supplement)
3. Private Pensions 1134
a. Munnell, The Economics of Private Pensions 1134
b. ERISA 1137
c. The ERISA Scheme 1141
4. Fiduciary Duties under ERISA 1148
a. Varity Corp. v. Howe 1149
5. Arbitrary and Capricious Decisions by Pension Fund Trustees 1158
a. Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. v. Bruch Case Supplement Below
6. Federal Preemption of State Laws 1162
7. Pension Plan Termination 1163
a. Pension Benefit Guarantee Corp. v. LTV Corp. 1164
8. Discrimination in Private Pensions 1169
a. City of Los Angeles v. Manhart 1169
V. Disabling Injury and Illness
A. Introduction to Workers’ Compensation 769
1. History 770
2. Arthur Larson, The Nature and Origins of Worker’s Compensation 770
B. Workers’ Compensation Coverage 774
1. Employee 774
Alexandra Berzon and Mark Maremont, The Perils of Workers’ Comp for Injured Cirque
du Soleil Performers: Unlike Professional Athletes, Injured Cirque Stars Don’t Get to
Keep Their Salaries, Wall Street Journal (April 24, 2015) SUPPLEMENT
Eckis v. Sea World Corp. 774
A video appears http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCGphu4iSOE
Viewing is discretionary, and you are cautioned that the film is disturbing. If
you decide to view the film clip, re-consider Ann Eckis’ tort claims, and the
court’s ruling.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCGphu4iSOE
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Walrond v. County of Someset, 888 A.2d 491 (Sup. Ct. N.J. 2006) (CASE
SUPPLEMENT BELOW)
2. Course of Employment 778
Perry v. State 778
Abel Verdon Const. v. Rivera, 348 S.W.3d 749 (Ky.2011) CASE SUPP BELOW
K-Mart Corp. v. Herring, 188 P.3d 140 (Ok. 2008) CASE SUPP BELOW
C. Occupational Disease 784
1. Overview 784
Williams v. City of New York, 887 N.Y.S.2d 286 (2009)
CASE SUPP BELOW
2. Burden of Proof 787
a. Guess v. Sharp Mfg. of America. 787
D. Determining Benefit Levels 792
1. Impairment and Disability 792
2. Turner v. American Mutual Insurance Co. 793
3. Economy Packing Company v. Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission,
901 N.E.2d 915 (2008) CASE SUPPLEMENT BELOW
4. Stone Container Co. v. Castle 801
5. Read Michael H. LeRoy, “The New Wages of War: Devaluing Death and Injury:
Conceptualizing Duty and Employment in Combat Zones,” Stanford Law & Policy
Review, Vol. 27 (Winter 2011). Download the article from:
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1666401
(Locate the article’s link; click on the link and download.)
In your one-page summary, summarize Prof. LeRoy’s argument that military contactors
and soldiers receive inadequate compensation and remedies for war zone injuries and
death.)
E. Tort Actions and Exclusivity 809
1. Actions Against the Employer 812
2. Dual Capacity 812
a. Weinstein v. St. Mary’s Medical Center 806
3.Wilful and Intentional Torts 816
a. Mandolidis v. Elkins Industries, Inc. 816
3. Actions Against Third Parties 822
a. York v. Union Carbide Corp. 823
4. Effects of OSHA Standards 831
a. Teal v. E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. 831
G. Social Security Disability Benefits 836
1. Barnhart v. Thomas 836
VI. Occupational Safety and Health
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1666401
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A. Introduction 697
1. Eric Schlosser, Fast Food Nation 697
2. Rothstein, Occupational Safety and Health Laws 701
4. Jurisdiction 706
a. Frank Diehl Farms v. Secretary of Labor 706
b. Chao v. OSHRC 711
B. Employer Duties 730
a. Compliance with Standards 730
1. Durez Div. Of Occidental Chemical Corp. v. OSHA 730
b. General Duty Clause 735
1. SeaWorld of Florida v. Perez 735
c. Defenses 741
1. Brennan v. OSHRC (Republic Creosoting Co.) 741
C. Employee Rights 745
a. Whirlpool Corp. v. Marshall 745
b. Read Michael H. LeRoy, “From Docks to Doctor Offices After 9/11: Refusing
to Work under Abnormally Dangerous Conditions,” Administrative Law Review,
Vol. 56, No. 3 (2004), 585-656. Download the article from:
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=825595
(Cursor down the page to locate the article’s link; click on the link and
download.) Read pp. 26-49. In your one-page summary, focus on the Whirlpool
decision. In one- page or so, assess the scope of Whirlpool, and using summaries
of post-Whirlpool cases, explain whether the Supreme Court’s ruling has been
broadened or narrowed.
D. Enforcement and Adjudication 751
Marshall v. Barlows, Inc. 751
E. Non-OSHA Safety and Health Law 745
International Union, UAW v. Johnson Controls, Inc. 758
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=825595
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CASE SUPPLEMENT
Please read the following case in conjunction with Casebook pp. 838-39.
Nelson v. James H. Knight DDS, P.C.,
--- N.W.2d ----, 2012 WL 6652747 (Iowa)
MANSFIELD, Justice.
Can a male employer terminate a female employee because the employer’s wife,
due to no fault of the employee, is concerned about the nature of the relationship
between the employer and the employee? This is the question we are required to
answer today. For the reasons stated herein, we ultimately conclude the conduct
does not amount to unlawful sex discrimination in violation of the Iowa Civil
Rights Act.
I. Facts and Procedural Background.
Because this case was decided on summary judgment, we set forth the facts in the
light most favorable to the plaintiff, Melissa Nelson.
In 1999, Dr. Knight hired Nelson to work as a dental assistant in his dental office.
At that time, Nelson had just received her community college degree and was
twenty years old.
Over the next ten-and-a-half years, Nelson worked as a dental assistant for Dr.
Knight. Dr. Knight admits that Nelson was a good dental assistant. Nelson in turn
acknowledges that Dr. Knight generally treated her with respect, and she believed
him to be a person of high integrity.
On several occasions during the last year and a half when Nelson worked in the
office, Dr. Knight complained to Nelson that her clothing was too tight and
revealing and “distracting.” Dr. Knight at times asked Nelson to put on her lab coat.
Dr. Knight later testified that he made these statements to Nelson because “I don’t
think it’s good for me to see her wearing things that accentuate her body.” Nelson
denies that her clothing was tight or in any way inappropriate.
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During the last six months or so of Nelson’s employment, Dr. Knight and Nelson
started texting each other on both work and personal matters outside the workplace.
Neither objected to the other’s texting. Both Dr. Knight and Nelson have children,
and some of the texts involved updates on the kids’ activities and other relatively
innocuous matters. Nelson considered Dr. Knight to be a friend and father figure,
and she denies that she ever flirted with him or sought an intimate or sexual
relationship with him.
Dr. Knight acknowledges he once told Nelson that if she saw his pants bulging, she
would know her clothing was too revealing. On another occasion, Dr. Knight texted
Nelson saying the shirt she had worn that day was too tight. After Nelson responded
that she did not think he was being fair, Dr. Knight replied that it was a good thing
Nelson did not wear tight pants too because then he would get it coming and going.
Dr. Knight also recalls that after Nelson allegedly made a statement regarding
infrequency in her sex life, he responded to her, “[T]hat’s like having a
Lamborghini in the garage and never driving it.” Nelson recalls that Dr. Knight
once texted her to ask how often she experienced an orgasm. Nelson did not answer
the text. However, Nelson does not remember ever telling Dr. Knight not to text her
or telling him that she was offended.
In late 2009, Dr. Knight took his children to Colorado for Christmas vacation. Dr.
Knight’s wife Jeanne, who was also an employee in the dental practice, stayed
home. Jeanne Knight found out that her husband and Nelson were texting each
other during that time. When Dr. Knight returned home, Jeanne Knight confronted
her husband and demanded that he terminate Nelson’s employment. Both of them
consulted with the senior pastor of their church, who agreed with the decision.
Jeanne Knight insisted that her husband terminate Nelson because “she was a big
threat to our marriage.” According to her affidavit and her deposition testimony, she
had several complaints about Nelson. These included Nelson’s texting with Dr.
Knight, Nelson’s clothing, Nelson’s alleged flirting with Dr. Knight, Nelson’s
alleged coldness at work toward her (Ms. Knight), and Nelson’s ongoing criticism
of another dental assistant. She added that “[Nelson] liked to hang around after
work when it would be just her and [Dr. Knight] there. I thought it was strange that
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after being at work all day and away from her kids and husband that she would not
be anxious to get home like the other [women] in the office.”
At the end of the workday on January 4, 2010, Dr. Knight called Nelson into his
office. He had arranged for another pastor from the church to be present as an
observer. Dr. Knight told Nelson he was firing her, reading from a prepared
statement. The statement said, in part, that their relationship had become a
detriment to Dr. Knight’s family and that for the best interests of both Dr. Knight
and his family and Nelson and her family, the two of them should not work
together. Dr. Knight handed Nelson an envelope which contained one month’s
severance pay. Nelson started crying and said she loved her job.
Nelson’s husband Steve phoned Dr. Knight after getting the news of his wife’s
firing. Dr. Knight initially refused to talk to Steve Nelson, but later called back and
invited him to meet at the office later that same evening. Once again, the pastor was
present. In the meeting, Dr. Knight told Steve Nelson that Melissa Nelson had not
done anything wrong or inappropriate and that she was the best dental assistant he
ever had. However, Dr. Knight said he was worried he was getting too personally
attached to her. Dr. Knight told Steve Nelson that nothing was going on but that he
feared he would try to have an affair with her down the road if he did not fire her.
Dr. Knight replaced Nelson with another female. Historically, all of his dental
assistants have been women.
After timely filing a civil rights complaint and getting a “right to sue” letter from
the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, Nelson brought this action against Dr. Knight
on August 12, 2010. Nelson’s one-count petition alleges that Dr. Knight
discriminated against her on the basis of sex. Nelson does not contend that her
employer committed sexual harassment. See McElroy v. State, 637 N.W.2d 488,
499–500 (Iowa 2001) (discussing when sexual harassment amounts to unlawful sex
discrimination and restating the elements of both quid pro quo and hostile work
environment sexual harassment). Her argument, rather, is that Dr. Knight
terminated her because of her gender and would not have terminated her if she was
male.
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Dr. Knight moved for summary judgment. After briefing and oral argument, the
district court sustained the motion. The court reasoned in part, “Ms. Nelson was
fired not because of her gender but because she was threat to the marriage of Dr.
Knight.” Nelson appeals.
III. Analysis.
Section 216.6(1)(a) of the Iowa Code makes it generally unlawful to discharge or
otherwise discriminate against an employee because of the employee’s sex. Iowa
Code § 216.6(1)(a) (2009). “When interpreting discrimination claims under Iowa
Code chapter 216, we turn to federal law, including Title VII of the United States
Civil Rights Act....” Generally, an employer engages in unlawful sex discrimination
when the employer takes adverse employment action against an employee and sex
is a motivating factor in the employer’s decision. See Channon v. United Parcel
Serv., Inc., 629 N.W.2d 835, 861 (Iowa 2001).
Nelson advances a straightforward “but for” argument: I would not have been
terminated “but for” my gender. See, e.g., Watson v. Se. Pa. Transp. Auth., 207
F.3d 207, 213, 222 (3d Cir.2000) (affirming a jury verdict in a Title VII case
because the charge, taken as a whole, adequately informed the jury that sex had to
be a but-for cause of the adverse employment action). Dr. Knight responds that
Nelson was terminated not because of her sex—after all, he only employs women—
but because of the nature of their relationship and the perceived threat to Dr.
Knight’s marriage. Yet Nelson rejoins that neither the relationship nor the alleged
threat would have existed if she had not been a woman.
Several cases, including a decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the
Eighth Circuit, have found that an employer does not engage in unlawful gender
discrimination by discharging a female employee who is involved in a consensual
relationship that has triggered personal jealousy. This is true even though the
relationship and the resulting jealousy presumably would not have existed if the
employee had been male.
Tenge v. Phillips Modern Ag Co., like the present case, centered on a personal
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relationship between the owner of a small business and a valued employee of the
business that was seen by the owner’s wife as a threat to their marriage. 446 F.3d
903, 905–06 (8th Cir. 2006). In that case, unlike here, the plaintiff had pinched the
owner’s rear. Id. at 906. She admitted that the owner’s wife “could have suspected
the two had an intimate relationship.” Id. Further, the plaintiff acknowledged she
wrote “notes of a sexual or intimate nature” to the owner and put them in a location
where others could see them. Id. In the end, the owner fired the plaintiff, stating that
his wife was “making me choose between my best employee or her and the kids.”
Id.
Reviewing this series of events, the Eighth Circuit affirmed the summary judgment
in favor of the defendants. Id. at 911. The Eighth Circuit first noted the considerable
body of authority that “‘sexual favoritism,’ where one employee was treated more
favorably than members of the opposite sex because of a consensual relationship
with the boss,” does not violate Title VII. Id. at 908–909. The court distilled that
law as follows: “[T]he principle that emerges from the above cases is that absent
claims of coercion or widespread sexual favoritism, where an employee engages in
consensual sexual conduct with a supervisor and an employment decision is based
on this conduct, Title VII is not implicated because any benefits of the relationship
are due to the sexual conduct, rather than the gender, of the employee.” Id. at 909.
The Eighth Circuit believed these sexual favoritism precedents were relevant. The
court’s unstated reasoning was that if a specific instance of sexual favoritism does
not constitute gender discrimination, treating an employee unfavorably because of
such a relationship does not violate the law either.
Yet the court acknowledged that cases where the employee was treated less
favorably would be “more directly analogous.” Id. The court then discussed a
decision of the Eleventh Circuit where an employee had been terminated for being a
perceived threat to the marriage of the owner’s son. Id. (discussing Platner v. Cash
& Thomas Contractors, Inc., 908 F.2d 902, 903–05 (11th Cir.1990)). It also cited
three federal district court cases, each of which had “concluded that terminating an
employee based on the employee’s consensual sexual conduct does not violate Title
VII absent allegations that the conduct stemmed from unwelcome sexual advances
or a hostile work environment.” Id. (citing Kahn v. Objective Solutions, Int’l, 86
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F.Supp.2d 377, 382 (S.D.N.Y.2000); Campbell v. Masten, 955 F.Supp. 526, 529
(D.Md.1997); Freeman v. Cont’l Technical Serv., Inc., 710 F.Supp. 328, 331
(D.Ga.1988)).
After reviewing these precedents, the Eighth Circuit found the owner had not
violated Title VII in terminating the employee at his wife’s behest. As the court
explained, “The ultimate basis for Tenge’s dismissal was not her sex, it was Scott’s
desire to allay his wife’s concerns over Tenge’s admitted sexual behavior with
him.” Id. at 910.
In our case, the district court quoted at length from Tenge, stating it found that
decision “persuasive.” However, as Nelson notes, there is a significant factual
difference between the two cases. As the Eighth Circuit put it, “Tenge was
terminated due to the consequences of her own admitted conduct with her
employer, not because of her status as a woman.” Id. The Eighth Circuit added a
caveat:
The question is not before us of whether it would be sex discrimination
if Tenge had been terminated because Lori [the owner’s wife]
perceived her as a threat to her marriage but there was no evidence that
she had engaged in any sexually suggestive conduct.
Id. at 910 n. 5.
Nelson contrasts that situation with her own, where she “did not do anything to get
herself fired except exist as a female.”
So the question we must answer is the one left open in Tenge—whether an
employee who has not engaged in flirtatious conduct may be lawfully terminated
simply because the boss views the employee as an irresistible attraction.
Notwithstanding the Eighth Circuit’s care to leave that question unanswered, it
seems odd at first glance to have the question of whether the employer engaged in
unlawful discrimination turn on the employee’s conduct, assuming that such
conduct (whatever it is) would not typically be a firing offense. Usually our legal
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focus is on the employer’s motivation, not on whether the discharge in a broader
sense is fair because the employee did something to “deserve it.” Title VII and the
Iowa Civil Rights Act are not general fairness laws, and an employer does not
violate them by treating an employee unfairly so long as the employer does not
engage in discrimination based upon the employee’s protected status.
In some respects, the present case resembles Platner. There a business owner chose
to terminate a female employee who worked on the same crew as the business
owner’s son, after the wife of the business owner’s son became “extremely jealous”
of her. Platner, 908 F.2d at 903. The district court found that the son was “largely to
blame for fueling [the wife’s] jealousy,” and that the plaintiff’s conduct was
“basically blameless and no different from that of the male employees.” Id.
Nonetheless, the Eleventh Circuit found no unlawful discrimination had occurred:
It is evident that Thomas, faced with a seemingly insoluble conflict
within his family, felt he had to make a choice as to which employee to
keep. He opted to place the burden of resolving the situation on
Platner, to whom he was not related, and whose dismissal would not,
as firing Steve obviously would, fracture his family and its
relationships. It is thus clear that the ultimate basis for Platner’s
dismissal was not gender but simply favoritism for a close relative. Id.
at 905.
Significantly, although Dr. Knight discusses Platner at some length in his briefing,
Nelson does not refer to the decision in her briefing or attempt to distinguish it.FN4
Nelson does, however, have three responses to Dr. Knight’s overall position. First,
she does not necessarily agree with Tenge. She argues that any termination because
of a boss’s physical interest in a subordinate amounts to sex discrimination:
“Plaintiff’s sex is implicated by the very nature of the reason for termination.”
Second, she suggests that without some kind of employee misconduct requirement,
Dr. Knight’s position becomes simply a way of enforcing stereotypes and
permitting pretexts: The employer can justify a series of adverse employment
actions against persons of one gender by claiming, “My spouse thought I was
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attracted to them.” Third, she argues that if Dr. Knight would have been liable to
Nelson for sexually harassing her, he should not be able to avoid liability for
terminating her out of fear that he was going to harass her.
Nelson’s arguments warrant serious consideration, but we ultimately think a
distinction exists between (1) an isolated employment decision based on personal
relations (assuming no coercion or quid pro quo), even if the relations would not
have existed if the employee had been of the opposite gender, and (2) a decision
based on gender itself. In the former case, the decision is driven entirely by
individual feelings and emotions regarding a specific person. Such a decision is not
gender-based, nor is it based on factors that might be a proxy for gender.
The civil rights laws seek to insure that employees are treated the same regardless
of their sex or other protected status. Yet even taking Nelson’s view of the facts,
Dr. Knight’s unfair decision to terminate Nelson (while paying her a rather
ungenerous one month’s severance) does not jeopardize that goal.
This is illustrated by the fact that Dr. Knight hired a female replacement for Nelson.
As the Platner court observed, “‘[W]e do not believe that Title VII authorizes courts
to declare unlawful every arbitrary and unfair employment decision.’” Id. at 905
(quoting Holder v. City of Raleigh, 867 F.2d 823, 825–26 (4th Cir.1989)).
Nelson’s viewpoint would allow any termination decision related to a consensual
relationship to be challenged as a discriminatory action because the employee could
argue the relationship would not have existed but for her or his gender. This logic
would contradict federal caselaw to the effect that adverse employment action
stemming from a consensual workplace relationship (absent sexual harassment) is
not actionable under Title VII. See, e.g., Benders v. Bellows & Bellows, 515 F.3d
757, 768 (7th Cir.2008) (holding that allegations that an employee’s termination
was based on the owner’s desire to hide a past consensual relationship from his wife
were “insufficient to support a cause of action for sex discrimination”); see also
Blackshear v. Interstate Brands Corp., No. 10–3696, 2012 WL 3553499, at *3 (6th
Cir.2012) (affirming summary judgment for the employer where the employee
presented evidence that she was treated unfairly due to her supervisor’s jealousy of
her relationship with another employee, and noting that “personal animus ... cannot
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be the basis of a discrimination claim under federal or Ohio law”); West v. MCI
Worldcom, Inc., 205 F.Supp.2d 531, 544–45 (E.D.Va.2002) (granting summary
judgment to an employer when an employee was removed from a project because of
a supervisor’s animosity toward the employee over her termination of their
consensual relationship but there was no evidence the supervisor had
made unwanted advances to the employee following the termination of that
relationship).
Nelson raises a legitimate concern about a slippery slope. What if Dr. Knight had
fired several female employees because he was concerned about being attracted to
them? Or what if Ms. Knight demanded out of jealousy that her spouse terminate
the employment of several women? The short answer is that those would be
different cases. If an employer repeatedly took adverse employment actions against
persons of a particular gender because of alleged personal relationship issues, it
might well be possible to infer that gender and not the relationship was a motivating
factor.
It is likewise true that a decision based on a gender stereotype can amount to
unlawful sex discrimination. Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins, 490 U.S. 228, 251, 109
S.Ct. 1775, 1791, 104 L.Ed.2d 268, 288 (1989) (“As for the legal relevance of sex
stereotyping, we are beyond the day when an employer could evaluate employees
by assuming or insisting that they matched the stereotype associated with their
group, for [i]n forbidding employers to discriminate against individuals because of
their sex, Congress intended to strike at the entire spectrum of disparate treatment
of men and women resulting from sex stereotypes.” (citation and internal quotation
marks omitted)). . . .
Nelson also raises a serious point about sexual harassment. Given that sexual
harassment is a violation of antidiscrimination law, Nelson argues that a firing by a
boss to avoid committing sexual harassment should be treated similarly. But sexual
harassment violates our civil rights laws because of the “hostile work environment”
or “abusive atmosphere” that it has created for persons of the victim’s sex. See, e.g.,
Faragher v. City of Boca Raton, 524 U.S. 775, 786–90, 118 S.Ct. 2275, 2283–84,
141 L.Ed.2d 662, 675–78 (1998). On the other hand, an isolated decision to
terminate an employee before such an environment arises, even if the reasons for
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termination are unjust, by definition does not bring about that atmosphere.
IV. Conclusion.
As we have indicated above, the issue before us is not whether a jury could find that
Dr. Knight treated Nelson badly. We are asked to decide only if a genuine fact issue
exists as to whether Dr. Knight engaged in unlawful gender discrimination when he
fired Nelson at the request of his wife. For the reasons previously discussed, we
believe this conduct did not amount to unlawful discrimination, and therefore we
affirm the judgment of the district court.
AFFIRMED.
Cotto v. United Technologies, Corp., 711 A.2d 1180 (Conn. 1998)
Before FRANCIS X. HENNESSY, DUPONT and DALY, JJ.
DUPONT, Judge.
. . . The sole issue to be resolved is whether General Statutes § 31-51q FN2 provides the plaintiff
employee with a cause of action for monetary damages against the defendant, his private
employer, after discharge from his employment resulting from an alleged exercise by the plaintiff
of his federal or state constitutional right of free speech, when the speech took place at the site of
the workplace. The defendant, in its motion to strike, claimed that (1) a cause of action based on
§ 31-51q is unavailable to an employee whose alleged expressive activity occurs exclusively on
the private property of his employer, and (2) the plaintiff employee’s words and actions, as
alleged in his complaint, were not constitutionally protected.
FN2. General Statutes § 31-51q provides: “Any employer, including the state and any
instrumentality or political subdivision thereof, who subjects any employee to discipline or
discharge on account of the exercise by such employee of rights guaranteed by the first
amendment to the United States Constitution or section 3, 4 or 14 of article first of the
Constitution of the state, provided such activity does not substantially or materially interfere with
the employee’s bona fide job performance or the working relationship between the employee and
the employer, shall be liable to such employee for damages caused by such discipline or
discharge, including punitive damages, and for reasonable attorney’s fees as part of the costs of
any such action for damages. If the court determines that such action for damages was brought
without substantial justification, the court may award costs and reasonable attorney’s fees to the
employer.”
http://web2.westlaw.com/find/default.wl?tf=-1&rs=WLW10.01&fn=_top&sv=Split&docname=0357859401&tc=-1&pbc=A3FC3734&ordoc=1998105470&findtype=h&db=PROFILER-WLD&vr=2.0&rp=%2ffind%2fdefault.wl&mt=208http://web2.westlaw.com/find/default.wl?tf=-1&rs=WLW10.01&fn=_top&sv=Split&docname=0263459901&tc=-1&pbc=A3FC3734&ordoc=1998105470&findtype=h&db=PROFILER-WLD&vr=2.0&rp=%2ffind%2fdefault.wl&mt=208http://web2.westlaw.com/find/default.wl?tf=-1&rs=WLW10.01&fn=_top&sv=Split&docname=0263742901&tc=-1&pbc=A3FC3734&ordoc=1998105470&findtype=h&db=PROFILER-WLD&vr=2.0&rp=%2ffind%2fdefault.wl&mt=208http://web2.westlaw.com/find/default.wl?tf=-1&rs=WLW10.01&fn=_top&sv=Split&docname=0263459901&tc=-1&pbc=A3FC3734&ordoc=1998105470&findtype=h&db=PROFILER-WLD&vr=2.0&rp=%2ffind%2fdefault.wl&mt=208http://web2.westlaw.com/find/default.wl?tf=-1&rs=WLW10.01&fn=_top&sv=Split&docname=CTSTS31-51Q&tc=-1&pbc=A3FC3734&ordoc=1998105470&findtype=L&db=1000264&vr=2.0&rp=%2ffind%2fdefault.wl&mt=208http://web2.westlaw.com/result/documenttext.aspx?vr=2.0&docaction=rank&sv=Split&sskey=CLID_SSSA3980933588161&cxt=DC&fmqv=c&rlti=1&ss=CNT&rs=WLW10.01&eq=search&rltdb=CLID_DB083951458161&db=ALLSTATES&cnt=DOC&fn=_top&rlt=CLID_QRYRLT8854334588161&n=3&scxt=WL&cfid=1&rp=%2fsearch%2fdefault.wl&origin=Search&mt=208&service=Search&query=%22WORKER+COMP!%22+%26+%22PERSIAN+GULF+WAR%22&method=TNC#B00221998105470http://web2.westlaw.com/find/default.wl?tf=-1&rs=WLW10.01&fn=_top&sv=Split&docname=CTSTS31-51Q&tc=-1&pbc=A3FC3734&ordoc=1998105470&findtype=L&db=1000264&vr=2.0&rp=%2ffind%2fdefault.wl&mt=208http://web2.westlaw.com/result/documenttext.aspx?vr=2.0&docaction=rank&sv=Split&sskey=CLID_SSSA3980933588161&cxt=DC&fmqv=c&rlti=1&ss=CNT&rs=WLW10.01&eq=search&rltdb=CLID_DB083951458161&db=ALLSTATES&cnt=DOC&fn=_top&rlt=CLID_QRYRLT8854334588161&n=3&scxt=WL&cfid=1&rp=%2fsearch%2fdefault.wl&origin=Search&mt=208&service=Search&query=%22WORKER+COMP!%22+%26+%22PERSIAN+GULF+WAR%22&method=TNC#F00221998105470http://web2.westlaw.com/find/default.wl?tf=-1&rs=WLW10.01&fn=_top&sv=Split&docname=CTSTS31-51Q&tc=-1&pbc=A3FC3734&ordoc=1998105470&findtype=L&db=1000264&vr=2.0&rp=%2ffind%2fdefault.wl&mt=208
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The plaintiff alleged in his complaint that he was employed on a full-time basis by the defendant
for approximately twelve years. The relevant portions of other allegations of the plaintiff’s
complaint are quoted as follows: “On or about April 22, 1991, the defendant, acting through [its]
management personnel, distributed American flags to employees in the plaintiff’s department and
it was expected that all employees would display American flags at their workstations.
The plaintiff declined to display the American flag and further gave his opinion on the propriety
of coercing or exerting pressure on employees to display the American flag. As a result of the
plaintiff’s refusal to display the American flag and as a direct and proximate result of his
comments with respect to displaying the flag, he was subjected to threats and harassment from
his coworkers. Said threats and harassment were directed toward him by his coworkers with the
full support and encouragement of the defendant.
PLAINTIFF’S ARGUMENTS: The plaintiff’s refusal to display the American flag and his
expression of his opinion regarding the company’s policy that employees must display the
American flag at their workstations were absolutely protected by the First Amendment of the
United States Constitution and Article First of the Constitution of the State of Connecticut.
Subsequent to the plaintiff’s suspension from employment, he was permanently discharged from
employment on or about May 16, 1992, on account of the plaintiff’s aforementioned behavior
and expression of opinion, all of which were constitutionally protected.
The defendant’s act of discharging the plaintiff from employment violated the plaintiff’s rights
pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes § 31-51q, as the plaintiff’s refusal to display the
American flag and his expression of opinion regarding the same did not substantially or
materially interfere with his bona fide job performance or the working relationship between him
and the defendant.”
ANALYSIS: It is clear from the facts alleged in the complaint that the expressive conduct alleged
by the plaintiff occurred exclusively in the workplace, on the private property of the defendant.
The trial court held that the “[p]laintiff’s speech at his workplace is not protected by the first
amendment to the United States constitution or §§ 3, 4 or 14 of article first of the Connecticut
constitution,” and, therefore, § 31-51q cannot afford relief.
FN4. The first amendment to the United States constitution provides in part: “Congress shall
make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech....”
Article first, § 4, of the Connecticut constitution provides: “Every citizen may freely speak, write
and publish his sentiments on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of that liberty.”
http://web2.westlaw.com/find/default.wl?tf=-1&rs=WLW10.01&fn=_top&sv=Split&docname=CTSTS31-51Q&tc=-1&pbc=A3FC3734&ordoc=1998105470&findtype=L&db=1000264&vr=2.0&rp=%2ffind%2fdefault.wl&mt=208http://web2.westlaw.com/find/default.wl?tf=-1&rs=WLW10.01&fn=_top&sv=Split&docname=CTSTS31-51Q&tc=-1&pbc=A3FC3734&ordoc=1998105470&findtype=L&db=1000264&vr=2.0&rp=%2ffind%2fdefault.wl&mt=208http://web2.westlaw.com/result/documenttext.aspx?vr=2.0&docaction=rank&sv=Split&sskey=CLID_SSSA3980933588161&cxt=DC&fmqv=c&rlti=1&ss=CNT&rs=WLW10.01&eq=search&rltdb=CLID_DB083951458161&db=ALLSTATES&cnt=DOC&fn=_top&rlt=CLID_QRYRLT8854334588161&n=3&scxt=WL&cfid=1&rp=%2fsearch%2fdefault.wl&origin=Search&mt=208&service=Search&query=%22WORKER+COMP!%22+%26+%22PERSIAN+GULF+WAR%22&method=TNC#F00441998105470
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Article first, § 14, of the Connecticut constitution provides: “The citizens have a right, in a
peaceable manner, to assemble for their common good, and to apply to those invested with the
powers of government, for redress or grievances, or other proper purposes, by petition, address or
remonstrance.”
The trial court determined that § 31-51q did not protect the plaintiff’s expressive activities
occurring on his employer’s private property because such on-site activities are not “guaranteed
by” either the United States constitution or the constitution of this state.
In so holding, the trial court primarily relied on Cologne v. Westfarms Associates, 192 Conn. 48,
469 A.2d 1201 (1984). In Cologne, the question was whether the rights of free speech and
petition guaranteed by the Connecticut constitution may be exercised on the private property of
the defendants, which property consisted of a large regional shopping center.
No statute was involved in Cologne and no relationship, such as employer and employee, existed
between the plaintiffs and the defendants, nor was any claim made that the speech was not
otherwise constitutionally protected. The plaintiffs, relying on §§ 4 and 14 of article first of the
state constitution, did not take the position that individuals may exercise their rights of free
speech on any private property, but instead, limited their claim to speech activities occurring on
private properties with a “uniquely public character.” Id., at 64, 469 A.2d 1201.
In analyzing this claim, the Cologne court reviewed the history of the adoption of the
Connecticut bill of rights and found “no evidence of any intention to vest in those seeking to
exercise such rights as free speech and petition the privilege of doing so upon the property of
others.” Id., at 62, 469 A.2d 1201. Accordingly, the court concluded that the free speech and
petition rights of the state constitution do not extend to expressive activities exercised on private
property against the wishes of the owner, even where the private property is vested with a public
character. Id., at 65-66, 469 A.2d 1201.
The present case involves the determination of an issue not yet decided by an appellate court of
this state. Unlike Cologne, which was based entirely on a constitutional analysis, we are here
determining whether § 31-51q provides a cause of action, under the circumstances alleged by the
plaintiff, to an employee who is discharged for the exercise of an alleged constitutional right
when, without the statute, no remedy or cause of action would be available.
In other words, the question is whether § 31-51q protects particular speech occurring on the
private property of an employer when, pursuant to Cologne, such speech would not otherwise
have been protected.
FN8. General Statutes § 31-51q has been interpreted by the Connecticut Supreme Court to
resolve other issues. In actions based on the statute, there must be a causal connection between
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the disciplinary action against an employee and the exercise of a constitutional right of the
employee. D’Angelo v. McGoldrick, 239 Conn. 356, 685 A.2d 319 (1996). There is no right to a
jury in an action brought by an employee pursuant to § 31-51q against a state employer, nor may
such an action be dismissed on the ground of sovereign immunity. Skinner v. Angliker, 211
Conn. 370, 373, 559 A.2d 701 (1989).
FN9. Employment may be terminated at the will of the employer unless it comes within a
statutory, contractual or decisional exception. Sheets v. Teddy’s Frosted Foods, Inc., 179 Conn.
471, 474, 427 A.2d 385 (1980).
The defendant’s motion to strike in the present case was based on two grounds. The defendant
claimed, first, that the rights protected by § 31-51q do not apply when exercised on private
property and, second, that even if they do apply the plaintiff’s words and actions were not
constitutionally protected free speech.
Attached to the defendant’s motion to strike were a memorandum of law and a decision of
arbitrators who had determined that the plaintiff was properly discharged. The plaintiff’s cause of
action pursuant to § 31-51q does not, nor could it, seek reinstatement of employment, but, rather,
seeks money damages.
The trial court concluded that the plaintiff’s speech was not protected because it occurred on
private property. It did not consider the second ground for the defendant’s motion, namely, that
the particular words and actions of the plaintiff were not constitutionally protected.
The basis for the latter claim, according to the memorandum of law filed with the motion to
strike, was that the speech did not involve a matter of public concern, but instead involved a
matter concerning a condition of private employment. Although the trial court did not consider
this second ground, we may do so. . . .
Statutory analysis is a search for the intention of the legislature. “[W]e look to the words of the
statute itself, to the legislative history ... to the legislative policy it was designed to implement,
and to its relationship to existing legislation ... governing the same general subject matter.”
Carriero v. Naugatuck, 243 Conn. 747, 753, 707 A.2d 706 (1998).
We begin our analysis of whether a cause of action pursuant to § 31-51q has been alleged with
the words of the statute. First, a private employer is placed in the same category as a state
employer because of the words “[a]ny employer, including the state....” (Emphasis added.)
General Statutes § 31-51q.
The statute next prohibits the discharge of an employee who exercises those rights that are
guaranteed by particular sections of the state and federal constitutions, provided that the exercise
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of those rights do not interfere with the employee’s bona fide job performance or the working
relationship between the employee and the employer.
The question is whether the words of the statute were intended to extend constitutional
protections of speech to the workplace. Nothing in the statute’s legislative history answers that
question, and the statute itself is silent. It is instructive, however, to review related state
legislation governing the same general subject matter.
A state may adopt, in its own constitution, individual liberties more expansive than those
conferred by the federal constitution and a state statute is, for that purpose, in the same category
as a state constitution. Thus, the legislature, if it so chooses, may enlarge a constitutional right;
see Cologne v. Westfarms Associates, supra, 192 Conn. at 72, 469 A.2d 1201 (Peters, J.,
dissenting); and may pass a statute to protect speech or expressive activity beyond that
guaranteed by either the state or federal constitutions; PruneYard Shopping Center v. Robins,
supra, at 78, 81, 100 S.Ct. 2035, and, until such time as that legislation is successfully attacked as
unconstitutional or is repealed, the subject activity of the legislation is protected.
For example, the legislature has enacted other statutes to protect employee speech or activity that
would not otherwise be protected by the federal or state constitutions. These statutes govern
situations where there is no state action, and where the activity relates to a private employer.
Such statutes include General Statutes § 2-3a, which prohibits retaliatory action by a private
employer against an employee who runs for or serves in the state legislature; General Statutes §
31-51m, which prohibits retaliatory action by a private employer against an employee who
reports a violation or suspected violation of laws or regulations (employee “whistle-blowing”
protection); General Statutes §§ 31-40k and 31-40 o, which prohibit retaliatory action by a
private employer against an employee for seeking information about toxic substances used at the
workplace; General Statutes § 31-48b, which provides criminal sanctions against a private
employer who records or monitors activities of employees in areas designed for the personal
health or comfort of the employees, or in areas for the safeguarding of employee possessions
such as restrooms, lockers and lounges; General Statutes § 31-51, which provides for a fine
against a private employer who acts to prevent an employee from securing employment
elsewhere; General Statutes § 31-51g, which provides for a fine against a private employer for
requiring an employee to take a polygraph test; General Statutes §§ 31-104 and 31-105, which
make it an unfair labor practice for private employers to prevent employees from bargaining
collectively; General Statutes § 31-290a, which prevents private employers from using retaliatory
measures against an employee who files a claim for workers’ compensation benefits; General
Statutes § 31-379, which prevents private employers from using retaliatory measures against an
employee who files a complaint concerning a violation of the Occupational Safety and Health
Act; General Statutes § 51-247a, which prohibits retaliatory measures by a private employer
against an employee for responding to a summons to act as a juror or for serving as a juror;
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General Statutes § 52-361a (j), which prohibits a private employer from retaliatory measures
against an employee because of a wage execution; General Statutes § 53-303e (b), which
prohibits a private employer from retaliatory measures against an employee for not working on
Saturdays because of religious observance; General Statutes § 27-33, which prohibits retaliatory
action by a private employer against an employee who absents himself from his work duties
while engaging in military or naval duty; General Statutes § 28-17, which prohibits the discharge
of an employee because of membership in an organization engaged in civil preparedness or
because of eligibility for induction into the armed services of the United States; and General
Statutes § 9-365, which provides for a fine of “any person” who threatens a person in his employ
or who discharges an employee because of any vote of the employee at any election.
Clearly, some of the protected activities described in these statutes involve speech or expressive
activity that, either of necessity or in all probability, will occur at the work site of a private
employer, and involve prohibition of speech unrelated to state action.
We conclude that § 31-51q applies to some activities and speech that occur at the workplace
because there are no words in the statute limiting the place at which the constitutionally protected
activity occurs, there is no prohibition that prevents a legislature from protecting employee
speech wherever it occurs, and other legislation governing the same general subject matter
includes speech occurring at the workplace.
The real question in this case, however, is not governed by where the activity occurred but of
what the activity consisted. Section 31-51q protects only that activity guaranteed safe from
private employer interference by either certain sections of our constitution or by the federal
constitution. If the rights exercised by the employee do not fall into the specified constitutional
category, the statute cannot apply.
Not all speech is guaranteed to be “free.” “The most stringent protection of free speech would not
protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a panic.” Schenk v. United States,
249 U.S. 47, 52, 39 S.Ct. 247, 63 L.Ed. 470 (1919). It is the combination, in this case, of where
the speech occurred at the workplace and its particular content that determines if the speech is
protected by the statute.
In deciding whether the allegations of the plaintiff’s complaint state a cause of action for the
deprivation of a constitutionally protected right, it is instructive to review federal and state cases
arising under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 because § 31-51q is analogous. See D’Angelo v. McGoldrick,
239 Conn. 356, 367, 685 A.2d 319 (1996) (Berdon, J., dissenting). If an employee’s activity or
speech can be the basis of a discharge from employment, without violating 42 U.S.C. § 1983,
when the federal, state or municipal government is the employer, then it is logical to conclude
that an employee’s activity can also be the basis of a discharge by a private employer, without
violating § 31-51q. Three cases, two federal and one state, are relevant to this inquiry.
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